Switch-housing structure



Dec. 14 1926.

w. M. SCOTT SWITCH HOUSING STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 19, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR l ATTORNEY Dec. 14 1926.

W. M. SCOTT SWITCH HOUSING STRUCTURE Filed DeG. 19, 19.23

FIG, 5

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INVENTOR BY M @zh l ATTORNEY FWG. 6

Patented Dec. 14, 1926.

UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. WILLIAM M. SCOTT, OF TREDYFFRIN TO\WNSHIP, CHESTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH-HOUSING STRUCTURE.

Application led December 19, 1923.

My invention relates to structure for housing switches, circuit breakers and the like utilized for controlling circults carrying current for lighting, power, or any other.

-\ minals, the housing having one or more wall against movement or removal as by a sec-` :sol

portions. or panels movable or removable to permit access to the connections, each wa`ll portion or a panel being held or loc-ked ond housing enclosing the circuit breaker or switch mechanism.'

Further in accordance with my invention there are provided novel means carried by and operable from the exterior of the housing which encloses the circuit breaker or switching mechanism for manually actuating and tripping the circuit'breaker and switching mechanism.

My invention resides in features of structure and combination hereinafter described and claimed. y

For an illustration of one of various forms my invention may take, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which: l

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in vertical section, of apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, partly in plan, taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

`Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the rear housing, with its panels removed.

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 3. y

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are plan, side and end elevations. respectively, of one of the removable panels.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of part of the actuating or controlling mechanism. f

Referring to the drawings, upon a base 1, preferably of insulating material, is secured the switchingv mechanism which, in the example illustrated, comprises two similar automatic circuit breakers, disposed in series lwith each other inthe circuit and thereby constituting a so'called double arm circuit Serial No. 681,657.

breaker, the two arms or poles of which are independently operable to normal or circuit closlng position, with automatic tripping mechanism ensuring the tripping of the arm or pole lirst closed if there obtains an overload or other abnormal electrical condition `upon attempt to close the other arm or pole, in general the same as described in my prior Patent Number 1,389,996.

Inasmuch as the two arms or poles are similar in structure, a description of one will sutlice' for both.

Each arm or circuit breaker comprises the main terminals 2 and 3 adapted to be bridged by the laminated Contact member bracket or support 7 secured to the base 1.

Associated with the upper main terminals 2 are the metallic and carbon stationary shunt contacts 8 and 9, respectively, with which co-act, respectively, the movable metallic and carbon'shunt contacts 10 and 11.

Pivoted to the arm 5 at 12 is a toggle link 13 pivoted at 14 to the second toggle link 15, pivoted to the bracket 7 at 16 and having the forwardly extending portion of lever arm 17 carrying at 18 a pin or roller with which engages the latch 19 pivoted at 20, the latch 19 when in engagement with the pin or roller 18 'locking the parts in circuit closing position indicated. Pivoted at 20 is the latch actuator 21 adapted to strike the upper side of the latch 19 to trip the circuit breaker when the tail 22 of the latch actuator is engaged by the armature 23, pivoted at 24, of an electromagnet comprising a U shaped iron magnet core or yoke 25 embracing the downwardly extending portion 26 of the main terminal 3. Secured to the lever arm 17 is the downwardly or foris secured the yactuator 34 having the laterally extending actuating arms or cams 3,5 adapted at their portions 361to engage the rollers 29 and thereby actuite in succession the lever arms 27 of the two breakers to effect their movement to circuit closing and locked -4 carried by an arm 5 pivoted at 6 to the position successively. The member 34 is provided with lug structure 34a with which co-acts a torsion spring, not shown, which co-acts also with the lug 32, on bracket 32, whereby the actuator structure 34 and the other parts secured to the shaft 33 are returned to normal or neutral position indicated.

Movable longitudinally in the bore 37 of the shaft 33 is the rod or plunger 38 having at its outer end the knob or push button 39 and at its inner end the head 4() adapted to engage and actuate upon inward movement of the plunger 38, the arm 41 of a tripping member 42 pivoted to the bracket 32 at 43 and having a tail 44 extending beyond the pivot 43f and having attached thereto one end of the spring/45, whose other end is attached at 46 to the bracket 32', the spring 45 biasing the member 42 against rotation in counter-clock-wise direction as effected by the plunger 38. The tripping member 42 has a third arm 47 disposed adjacent the outer end 48 of an arm or lever 49 secured to the transversely extending bar 50, secured at its opposite end to the latch actuators 21 of the two, circuit breakers, the bar 50 being actuated in response to inward movement of the plunger 38 to actuate the latch actuators 21 and therethrough the latches, 19, of both circuit breakers, to trip them. Upon attraction of the armature 23 iof either circuit p breaker the bar 50 is actuated to eifect tripping of the 'other circuit breaker.

Secured to the shaft 33, on the exterior of the` wall W, is the operators handle o r lever I mechanism 51, 51, for actuating the actuator members 35,35, to re-set the circuit breakers in succession. Carried by one of the members 51'is the member 52 in which is slidable a latching plate or bar` "5(3, for engagement in an aperture in the wall Wto revent movement of the operators levers. '51,*51 when there is applied in the. notch 54 the hasp of a padlock the insertion of which forces the locking plate 53, tgward the left, to engage in the aperture in the wallW, a spring, not shown, withdrawing the locking member 53 upon removal of the padlock. Locking structurey of this character is disclosed in my prior'application Serial Number 655,196, filed August 2,1923.

The rear housing R is secured by any suitable means, as screws 55, to any suitable fixed su port, 'as a wall, post or the like. At the orward end of its top, it is providl ed with two pivot pins or equivalent, with which engage pivot hooks 57 secured to the base 1 by screwsI 58, whereby the base 1 and *the mechanism carried thereby may be swung upon the pivot pins 56. During normal operation however, the base 1 is secured in the position' indicated in Fig. 1 by screws 59 ,threaded into suitable members carried by the rear housing R.

vposed mainly of the plate 79, having the for- The housing H has secured thereto at the rear edge of its top the two pivot hooks 6() by which the housing H and the parts carried thereby are pivoted or hinged upon the members 56 carried by the housing R. v

The housing His held in the position indicated in Fig. 1 by means of holding structure comprising the brackets61 secured to the bottom wall of the housing R and having pivoted therein the bail or hasp 62 which engages in the slot 63 in the link 64 pivoted at 65 upon the bracket 66 secured to the housing H. rl`he members`62 and 64 comprise, in eifect, links of toggle which in the position indicated in Fig. 1 are in overtravelled position inthe sense that in moving the links to the position shown the center of pivot 65 has been traversed and lies to one side of the imaginary line joining the center of the pivot of the member 62' with the point of engagement of member 62 with the link 64. The toggle being so over-travelled remains in theposition indicated holding the housing H and the parts carried thereby in fixed position with respect to the housing R and base 1'. The link 64 at lits forward end has a hole 67, which is adaptedv to register with the hole 68 in the bracket 69 secured to the housing H, whereby the locking member, as the hasp of a padlock, may be passed through. the registering holes l67 and 68 to prevent rotation of the link 64 in clock-wise direction 'about its pivot l6 5 to release the housing H from the housing R.

Secured to the upperterminal ,blocks 2 and extending through the base 1 into the rear housingv R, are the connecting studs 70 on which are threaded nuts 71 between which are clamped the terminals 72 `at theends of the supply (or consumption) circuit conductors 73 disposed within a pipe or conduit 74 communicating with theinterior of the housing R.

Similarly the studs 74 connect with the lowerends 74a of the main terminal block 3 and extend through the base 1 into the housing R where they carry nuts 75 between which are held the terminals 7 6. on the ends of the consumption (or supply) circuit conductors 77 disposed in the pipe or conduit 78 communicating with theVY interior ofthe housing R. l

The rear lwall of the housing R is comwardly bent vertical side members 80. The

top and bottom walls 81 and 82 of the housing R have downwardly and upwardly turned flanges 83 and 84, respectively,I

l'riveted to the forwardly extending plates 85 x and 86 integral with the rear plates-87 and 1,2?

88 which are bent downwardly; and upwardl Vly from andintegral with plates 81 and 82 respectively. The Vplates 85 and 86 are riveted to the side members' 80 of the platev 79, and the rear plates 87 and 88 are. riveted no lof the rear housing plate 79. Struck up from each panel 89 is a plurality of lugs 91 integral with and suitably spaced from the plane of the plate89I by the member 92. The plates 85 and 86 4are provided with apertures 93 through which the lugs 91 are passed so that they lie on the inner sides of the plates 85 and 86 whereupon each panel 89 may be slid toward the rear, as viewed in Fig. 1, carrying the free* ends of the lugs 91 past and tothe left of the left ends of the apertures 93, thereby holding the panels 89 in place.v With the parts in assembled and normal position indicated in Fig. 1, the

Kinterior of the housing R, toithe studs, con' flange or abutment 90, upon the panel 8 9, is disposed adjacentor against the flange or abutment 94 on each rear vertical edge of the housing H, as indicated in Fig. 2. It wil-l be noted that the base' 1 is preferably narrower than the space between the abutments 90 and 94 -oii opposite sides of the housing structure, as indicated in Fig. 2, so affording space for free movement of the housing H andthe panels 89 and their abutments 90 and 94. Y

When it is desired to have access `to the ductors, terminals or 4connections therein,

'the toggle link 64 is rst rotated in clockwisev direction and the bail 62 detached therefrom,fwhereupon ,the housing H may.

be swung or rotated upon the pivotpins 56, in counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in ,Fig 1, thereby carrying the rear edge of the whereupon either or both of them may be slid, toward the right, until the lugs 91 come again into register `with the openings 93 in the plates 85 and 86, whereupon either or both of the panels may be removed, allowing ready access to the interior of the housing R to make/connections or to effect disconnection .of the conductors 7 3 and 77, or any of them from the circuit breaker studs.

By recourse to structure of' the character described, involving one or. more panels 89,

it is not necessary to provide or allow yfor l slack in the conductors, since the base 1 may r remain in fixed position with respect to the rear housing R and the short direct connections indicated maybe made.

What I claim is:

' 1. The combination with a base, of switching mechanism disposed thereon and a l housing attached to said base, conductois cX- tending from said switching mechanism through said base into said housing, circuit conductorsextending into lsaid housing for connection with said first named conductors,

.a member constituting a portion of the wall niay be moved laterally of a wall of' said.

housing and then parallel therewith to effect attachment and detachment. of said member.

2. The combination with a base of switching mechanism disposed thereon, a housing attached to said base, saidbase terminating short of one side of' said housing to form a space, a member constituting a portion of the wall structure of said housing slidable upon and detachably secured to said side of said housing, an inwardly turned abutment on said member movable in said space, and structure co-acting `with said abutment for preventing detaching movement of said member.

3. The combination with a base, of switching mechanism disposed thereon, a housing attached to said base, said base terminating short of one side of said housing to form a space, a member constituting a portion of the wall structure of said hous- -ing slidable upon and detachably secured to `member. a

.4. The combination with a base ofswitching mechanism disposed thereon, a housing attached to said base, said base terminating short of one side of said housing to form a space', a member constituting a portion of the wall structure of said housing slidable upon and detachably secured to said side' of said housing, an abutment on said member, a second housing enclosing said switching' mechanism, andl having `an in-tu'rned ico abutmentmovable in said space in the path of said first named abutment for preventing detaching movement of said member.

5. The `combination with a base, switching i mechanism thereon, a movable housing enclosing said switching mechanism, a second housing, circuit conductors extending into said second housing for connection to said switching mechanism, and a 'removable wall, which upon removal allows access to said second housing, held in housing-closing position thereon by' said mova-` ble housing.

6. The combination withl 'a base, of switching mechanismsthereon, a movable housing enclosing said switching mechanisma second housing,fncircuit conductors extending into said second housing for connection to said switching mechanism, and a removable wall, which upon removal allows access to said second housing, held in hous ing-closing position thereon by direct en-k gagement with said movable housing.

7. The combination with a base, switching mechanism thereon, a movable housing y enclosing said switching mechanism, a second housing, circuit conductors extending into said second housing for connection tosaid switching mechanism, and a removable wall. comprising an abutment,

which upon removal allows access to said' second housing, held in housing-closing position thereon by engagement of said abutment with said movable housing.

8. The combination with a housing, of a base attached thereto, switching mechanism carried upon said base outside of said housing, a second housing pivoted upon said irst lnamed housing` and enclosing said switching mechanism, a member constitutofl ing a portion of the wall structure of said first named housing detachably movable thereon to, permit access to the interior of said iirst named housing, said second housing preventing movement of said member until said second named housing is rotated upon said first named housing.

S). The combination with a base, of switching mechanism thereon, and a housing attached to said base, said housing comprising a wall member spaced from said base and having side portions turned toward said base, end Wall structure for saidrhons ing comprising an end wall member having portions extending parallel With and secured to said first named wall member and said side portions thereof, and a panel member detachably secured tothe portion of said end wall member which is parallel with and secured to one of said side por-v tions of said first named wall member.

WILLIAM M. sco'rr, 

